When Illness affect fertility – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Who wants a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? I don’t see any hands rising.

The fact is, STD’s exist and many women suffer long term effects of contracting STDs. Usually this is because they were either unaware they had contracted it, or too embarrassed to do anything about it. This can mean massive consequences when it comes to fertility – in the shape of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID is inflammation of the upper reproductive tract – including the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, usually a result of an STD, or possibly a bacterial infection, or pelvic surgery.

The infection is bad news for fertility however it is a preventable and treatable condition. Even better news is that we can address it with natural methods if we suspect a woman has a history or suspected case which may be impacting her reproductive potential. Our method is not necessarily better than a western method, but treats the effects of PID in a different manner which results in greater success in the long run.

Let me explain this further.

Why the heck does PID happen? It is a natural response where the body goes into overdrive to ward off the infection – however in doing so it can damage the reproductive organs as it causes scarring. In severe cases, surgery and antibiotics may be necessary but for those women who have a deep history of PID combining this treatment with natural fertility methods can greatly increase the chances of conception as western medicine doesn’t generally ‘put back’ what it takes out.

Most women would be aware if they had previously contracted PID or a history of an STD and this is valuable information for a new patient to offer me. You don’t need to be a specialist to realise that if the reproductive organs are affected by scarring, reduced blood flow and over all damage, fertility is lowered. This is indeed not only affecting your fertility but will explain why some women aren’t falling pregnant. The same goes for IVF – and this is why they routinely treat each women with antibiotics ‘just in case.’

In Chinese Medicine we look as such conditions as ‘pathological damp’ . You make have heard of damp under the foundations of a house? This is similar. The Chinese recgonise that an accumulation of substantial matter in response to infection (yes, we’re referring to pus – there is no nice word for that) indeed needs to be attended to. Without doubt if there is goo stuck in your fallopian tubes, it will affect how a follicle meets sperm. This gunk might even be stopping the sperm reaching the follicle.

Similarly, should there be even the tiniest amount of gunk falling from the tubes into the uterus, it will absolutely affect implantation. We must treat the residue of the PID before we can see successful pregnancies result. Tell the truth; if you were a cute little baby making sperm, would you want to park yourself next to a splash of goop? No way. Again, I can’t see any hands up!

The buck doesn’t stop with women’s gunk- no sir ree – the Mr is equally as important to clear any past infections that may be having a similar impact on semen – it will affect the sperm morphology and semen viscosity. So let’s look into the past, to get the future sorted.

In the case of PID the best news of all is that it is absolutely treatable. In the past IVF clinics were routinely prescribing antibiotics to assist in treatment of any residual infections, however we know from a TCM perspective that whilst the medication will indeed stop an infection, it will not clear the residue. It is an obstruction needing to be tended to.

We use herbal medicine and acupuncture to effectively treat these patients. We then find that our patient’s bodies have increased reception to IVF and increased fertility once the pelvic cavity is free from any obstructions. We know that by creating a more inviting environment we are increasing fertility levels, as your body is no longer trying to navigating around unwanted or disrupting obstacles.

It’s just another piece of the puzzle we can add to increase your natural fertility.